My wife and I were “discussing” my penchant for excessively avid storage, aka pack-ratting, hoarding, and stuffing every nook and cranny in our garage. Where I see residual value, she sees useless junk. A handcrafted camp spoon with a wooden handle we found in a granite crevice in the Sierras … … more …
James Chandler
It was time to visit the kids. What was Christmas without them? There were bunches of 3, 5 and 6 year olds downstairs in the play room, offering far more entertainment value than the adult conversations with distant in-laws. I grabbed the colorful tube and descended the stairs. “Hey kids, … … more …
Santa was holding court in the living room. Fresh from his early rounds, he entertained the children gathered at his feet. The jolly old fellow was looking as trim and youthful as a twenty-year old, no doubt a testament to good living and the fresh, arctic air. “How about we … … more …
Each day is like a box: 8 hours tall, 8 hours wide, 8 hours deep. There’s only so much we can fit in it; the rest of our efforts and good intentions fall out.Sleep takes 8 hours, especially if one includes the time to wash up prior and post. Work … … more …
I treated myself to breakfast out today. Just eggs, toast and hashbrowns on the daily special menu at El Rancho. I reserved my coffee expenditure for a latte at Peets. Did some quick shopping at the adjacent Safeway. On the way home, I stopped at O’Reilly’s to inquire about car … … more …
“Company Store” Model Resurrected JCwire, Louisville Mitt Romney addressed a cheering crowd of coal miners today, saying that “American coal is an essential part of our energy future, burning hotter and cleaner than coal from other countries.” Using the platform to introduce his rescue plan for Middle Class America, Romney … … more …
Romney Reveals TARP JCwire, Pittsburgh Today presidential contender Mitt Romney unveiled his 50 Point economic platform, which he called “The American Redistribution Plan” or TARP. Responding to criticism that his five point plan leading to 12 million new jobs lacked substantive detail, Romney told the Steelworkers’ Union in Pittsburgh that … … more …
Enter Obi-wan My assignment was for a local elementary school where I had met the teacher. He ran his class like a Jedi boot camp with posters and models to match. He had taught his fifth graders to be fairly independent and I hoped this behavior would continue today. Arriving … … more …
Who’s on First? I like teaching first grade. The kids are still cute, like kindergartners, but also more capable. Most essentially, they can sit still long enough to do something. I arrived too late to do much prepping, as an accident on 580 had flooded the local streets with harried … … more …
Forewarned I arrived at school early, having allowed for traffic hazards this time but encountering none. As I waited for the school secretary to appear, a woman asked for whom I was subbing. I seldom remember a teacher’s name. If I get to the right school with the right grade … … more …